


Sorry We're Closed (but not for you)

by whichstar



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Flower Shop Mai, Getting Together, Not really au flowershop bc Mai is canonically flower girl, Rare Pairings, Tennis Player Mai, artist yue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-21 20:00:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30027057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whichstar/pseuds/whichstar
Summary: "So you gave me a flower when I was sad and now I keep visiting the flower shop because I might be in love" AUOR: Yue didn't expect such kindness from a stranger but she didn't dislike it. She even thought the stranger was really, really pretty... until she found out they were supposed to be political rivals. She still thought Mai was pretty though.
Relationships: Mai/Yue (Avatar)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	1. fin.

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY so this has been in the works *for a while* so I'm really sorry if the writing style seems inconsistent! I hope you enjoy this rare pair though as I add to my agenda of proving that Mai is a very pairable character.

Yue didn't know where she was going, she'd never been out so late before. All she knew was that she needed air.

Fresh air. Preferably far away from the confines of her parents.

It was ridiculous. It was childish. It was trivial. Yue should've been grateful for the privileged life she led as the daughter of an extremely powerful and influential man. She knew that others had it way worse, but the thought didn't bring much joy.

She wandered aimlessly. The city was calmer at night, the moonlight giving everything an otherworldy glow. By design, she was drawn to where the most people seemed to be -- a marketstreet of some kind. Yue recognized it as an outlet adults liked to frequent. Shops lined the block, all slowly shutting down for the night. Stragglers were making their ways back home, leaving Yue to watch the lights of each shop go out one by one.

A few shop lights remained on, however, a relatively small flower shop being one of them. Yue passed the semi-tinted windows. She slowed to a stop to admire the beautiful display out front. A colorful arrangement on wooden trays and boxes lined up below the windows. She stalled and delibrated right before the door, wondering if she could come in. It was almost closing time.

The emergence of a sillohuette snapped her out of her thoughts. In the doorway stood a girl who seemed about Yue's age, dressed in a white apron over a black hoodie. Light outlined the worker's back, making her glow. The twin buns up on her hair cut an interesting shadow on the pavement and her expression was indifferent to the point of seeming displeasured. Yue opened her mouth to apologize but it died in her throat when the girl crossed her arms.

"Well?" Her voice had the drawl of practiced boredom. "Are you coming in?"

"May I?"

The girl shrugged and moved to the side, allowing space for Yue to walk past. Yue stepped in shyly, looking back at the worker as if asking for permission to move around.

An indifferent nod later and Yue found herself admiring the rows upon rows of flowers as the worker started to heave the floral displays from outside to inside the shop. As Yue admired the flower, her fingers itched, she really wanted to draw them.

She stewed in her thoughts while staring at flowers labeled as blue hyacinths. It was getting late; she should start heading back home. Her dad always warned it was dangerous at night. But she didn't want to -- not yet. The soft light of the flower shop and the sound of mist being sprayed on petals comforted her; time was all but frozen.

Tonight didn't feel real. Her parents calmly telling her to fall in and obey their decision felt like eons ago. She had dealt with those commands many times before, but today had just felt different. Today it was about her future.

How long she took in the sweet floral smell wasn't clear, but at one point the worker approached her with a watering can and told her flatly that if she wanted to stay she would water the plants. Yue got to work immediately, starting with the shelf of potted plants she was previously admiring.

The first few times she would anxiously call the worker over to make sure she was watering the right amount, but soon she got the hang of it. It was therapeutic, almost, going through the pots one by one and watering them. The girl working here sat at the front desk, keeping one eye on Yue while cataloguing things.

Silence was something Yue was accustomed too, and it seemed like the other girl was too. With each focused on their own tasks, there was no need to talk. Yue was almost grateful for the silence, not wanting to explain why she was keeping the worker from closing fully. She didn't even know why the worker was allowing a customer to stay past closing time -- she hoped they didn't mind.

When Yue approached the front desk with an almost-empty watering can and told her she was done, the employee silently gestured to a stool she must have brought out earlier, since Yue didn't recall a chair being there in the beginning, diagonal to the register.

"Jasmine or chamomile tea?" The worker asked.

"Chamomile," Yue said. "Why?"

The girl stood up and disappeared through the back door. Yue noted that the two buns on her head were actually three with an extra one at the back. She reappeared with two cups and tea packets, setting them on the counter and going back to grab a boiling kettle. Yue did recall the girl going to the back a while ago, she must've heated up water then and grabbed an extra stool too. The thoughtfulness moved her.

"What brings you here?" The employee asked, her hands admirably steady as she poured the steaming water with practiced ease. Her tone was flat, as if she was unused to starting conversations.

Yue was silent for a moment, dropping her tea packet in before mumbling out. "My parents."

"Tough." Came the reply. Yue figured that the employee wasn't one for speaking much.

She nodded, tough indeed. Yue looked up to find the florist studying her. Steady tawny eyes met her blue ones, and Yue looked away -- cheeks burning. Why did it feel like those eyes knew more than they let on? Did they know each other?

Yue asked, "What's your name?"

The girl interlocked her fingers. "Mai."

"I'm Yue."

"I know."

"Huh?"

Mai lifted an eyebrow, perfectly shaped. "You're Chief Arnook's daughter, right? The white hair kind of gives it away."

"Oh," Yue said. "Do I know you?"

Another shrug. "I don't think you'd remember me."

"That's a shame." She found herself saying. "I would have loved to have known you before this."

The corners of Mai's lips lifted, giving Yue the courage to ask a question.

"Why are you letting me stay? Shouldn't you be closing?"

"I should," Mai agreed and Yue felt a bolt of fear when the girl didn't elaborate.

"So, why aren't you closing?"

Mai fixed her with a slightly annoyed stare. "Because I don't want to."

Fair enough, Yue thought. Who was she to intrude on how an employee did things. She watched curiously as Mai pulled a binder and a pencil from the floor, opening it to what seemed like schoolwork.

"What class is that for?" Yue asked conversationally.

"Math," Mai said.

The silence came back and Yue started figeting because she didn't know what else to do. She hopped off her stool and looked through the plants and flowers again. They really were beautiful. Yue flipped through one of the plant guidebooks available, reading with avid interest about the life cycle of seasonal wildflowers.

Her phone rang.

Mai must've seen the abject horror on her face because she said with a note of warning in her voice. "Don't answer it."

"But it's my dad," Yue whisper-shouted back. Her eyes latched onto Mai's steadying gaze, centering herself to them as if they could save her from a spiral of thoughts.

"Still, don't answer it." Mai's eyes softened. "Trust me."

Yue felt herself nod slightly, forcing her legs to move in Mai's direction. She dropped her phone on the counter, and gripped the edges, a stricken expression on her face.

What would happen when she came back home? Would her dad be furious -- scratch that, he already was. The pit of dread in her stomach grew deeper.

Mai tapped her pencil on Yue's fingers, bringing the white haired girl back to the present. She pushed the cup of tea towards her. "Hey, breathe."

"Thank you." Yue managed out, sitting on the stool. Mai nodded, returning her attention back to her math homework. She took a sip of the tea, staring into the mug. The phone stopped ringing.

Looking across the counter, Yue could see Mai deep in concentration. Yue's eyes felt like they had a mind of their own as they roamed Mai's thin face. High cheekbones gave the employee a look of aristocracy, and her eyes were distinctively shaped like thin almonds almost hidden by those bangs. Two long strands of black hair cascaded down and framed her face from the twin buns on top. It was actually three buns, Yue remembered there was a third one at the back, on the bottom, making it so that the hair maintained a specific shape. The elaborate hairstyle suited her.

An itch she'd been suppressing for a long time, the itch to draw, came back in full force. Mai had a lovely face to draw, Yue thought absently. It really was a shame that she didn't have her sketchbook right now.

"You can talk, you know," Mai said in a monotone, looking up. She looked a bit taken aback to see Yue already staring at her but continued cooly. "I know how parents can be."

"Really?" Yue asked tentatively. She straightened, more emboldened by Mai's nod. "Well, I love my parents -- I really do. It's just that... they can be.. too much, you know?"

Mai's roll of her eyes seemed to agree with that statement.

"I know that they want the best for me, I know they're doing this because they love me." Yue continued; Mai seemed to bite back a reply. "But is secluding me from other people really helping?"

Yue's eyes darted up at Mai's snort of derision. She opened her mouth to defend her parents, about how they were worried about her because she got sick easily and was chronically ill due to her weak heart, when Mai reached for her own cup of tea.

"I think," Mai took a long sip. "That you should stop making excuses defending your parents."

"What?"

"The intention behind their actions don't matter when the action harms you." Mai shrugged like it was the most easiest feat in the world.

Yue blinked, stunned.

"No matter the intention, the end result of the action is the same." Mai's forehead creased slightly, it felt like she was speaking from experience. "The harm's still done."

"That's a good point," Yue admitted.

They sat in silence, a more comfortable one this time. The sounds of the mist sprayer and the breeze were in the background, and Yue found her worries melting away with every sip of the warm tea. Time was ticking by and, for the first time, Yue didn't mind.

Mai eventually got up, prompting Yue to track her movements. The employee went over to a rack containing seeds and grabbed a packet before walking back. She handed them to Yue. "African violets."

"What about them?"

"You should try growing some."

"I don't have any money on me..?"

"On the house." Mai deadpanned.

Yue frowned and Mai's eyes softened again, just like how she'd try to comfort her before. She seemed to search for what to say before settling with a "You'll like them."

Was that Mai's way of comforting people? Listening to them talk and then giving them a plant to grow? Because if it was, it was working.

Yue looked down at the packet and finally nodded. She reached for a phone and checked the time and the countless messages she had received during the conversation, brutally reminded that time did not -- in fact -- stop inside the flower shop. "I should go."

"Yeah," Mai agreed. Neither of them moved.

"Thank you." Yue said, feeling uncharacteristically shy.

An eyebrow lifted. "For what?"

"For... letting me stay, everything."

Mai seemed to be amused by that answer. She tilted her head. "I didn't do anything."

No, she did much more than that. Yue found herself opening her mouth to argue but refrained from doing so, she wanted to end things on a good note. She started towards the door, shuffling her feet slightly in order to take longer.

"Yue?" Mai called; Yue looked back. "Stay safe."

Yue nodded and the door shut behind her.

It took two days before Yue had the courage to go back. She had done plenty of research beforehand on African violets, reading article after article with newfound determination. For some odd reason, she wanted to impress Mai with her knowledge -- turn the girl's indifferent expression from that night to something else. It took two days for Yue to list up the materials she needed to buy, check the shop's website and scout the reviews, and visit the flower shop again.

The door rang with an electronic bell when Yue walked in, a change from last time. Probably because Yue was actually within the working hours this time at six-thirty in the morning. She clutched her list and tried to march towards the front desk with purpose. Someone sitting there had their head down. Yue couldn't tell who it was since a hood covered the head, but the black hoodie seemed familiar. A ray of hope sparked inside her.

Yue stood in front of the cash register, nervously waiting for a reaction from the employee on deck. A thought struck her. Mai could possibly not be on duty. A shop had shifts right? Yue wasn't so sure as she never had a job before. Could Mai be night shift only? Her thoughts became an erratic mess until the employee lifts her head and a pair of sleepy, yet familiar, tawny eyes appeared on an equally familiar face.

"Good morning, Mai." Yue smiled in relief.

"It's six in the morning," Mai somehow managed to convey annoyance through a monotone mumble, her voice raspy.

"Six-thirty, actually," Yue corrected.

Mai sighed and placed her head back down in her arms, which Yue took as a sign to continue. It wasn't that early, was it?

"I did some research on those African violets and I was wondering where you kept your gardening materials."

Without even looking up, Mai pointed past Yue to the section at the very back of the store labeled 'GARDENING' in big letters.

"Oh." Yue said awkwardly. She headed to the back, slightly dejected that Mai hadn't offered to help. She had even dressed up for the encounter in a light blue off-shoulder and jeans. Maybe it was too early -- after all, the sky was still lightening.

She browsed through the shelves, grabbing a basket and gathering the supplies needed to grow her seeds. She was in the middle of trying to decide on the brand of peat moss she should get when a pale, slender hand came into view and reached for the orange brand.

"This one." Mai dropped it into Yue's basket. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, her bangs plastered to her forehead from all the time spent using her arms as a pillow. The hood stayed on, making it so that Mai's pale face stuck out like a full moon against all the black. Yue had to tilt her head up slightly to meet the employee eyes. She was relatively tall herself, but Mai stood a few centimeters higher. She realized that she was staring and quickly averted her eyes to the orange packet.

"Thanks."

Mai nodded and Yue checked over her list again, murmuring the name of the material as she mentally checked it off. She was viscerally aware of the girl standing next to her, reading the list over her shoulder, and suddenly wished her handwriting was prettier to read.

"Nice list," Mai finally commented, not quite sarcastic. She almost seemed like a mix of amused and pleasantly surprised. It was hard to tell. Yue felt herself blush.

"Is there any specific reason you gave me African violets?" Yue asked, trying to sound casual.

"They're a classic," Mai's raspy morning voice filled Yue's ear again, sending a shiver down her spine. "Easy enough for beginners."

"I see," Yue said absentmindedly. She had done some -- okay a lot -- of research and she read somewhere that African violets symbolized friendship. Maybe she was hoping that meant they could be friends. Maybe she was reading far too much into it.

Now up and on her feet, Mai seemed more alert. "Why are you here so early?"

"I have school later and was hoping to catch you and buy the materials before."

"Wouldn't it be easier to come after school?"

"Oh, you're right." Yue paused, realizing that she was too eager to see Mai that she didn't even consider the afternoon as an option.

"It's alright, I don't have the afternoon shift."

Yue smiled a little, glad the girl didn't seem as annoyed about Yue coming in so early now. She turned toward the employee so they were face to face, and proudly showed her the basket. "What do you think?"

Mai blinked like a cat, and took a second to reply. "Just so you know, this is not on the house."

"I know," Yue gently huffed. She flicked her eyes back back up to Mai's golden ones. "I came prepared."

"I can see that." Something changed in Mai's face and she took a step back, turned, and walked past the shelves. "Let's get you checked out."

Yue trailed after, taking the non-answer to her question as a compliment. She handed Mai the basket and tucked a stray strand out of her face. Mai scanned the items neatly and Yue paid, bagging her items in a tote bag she brought along.

"Keep me posted on how they grow," Mai said as a goodbye. She didn't seem too fond of actual goodbyes.

"I will." Yue smiled, waving before opening the door. If it gave her another excuse to see Mai, she wasn't complaining. The door jangled when she pushed it open, and, while passing by the windows, she saw Mai lay her head down to sleep again.

Much to Yue's delight, visiting the flower shop became almost a routine. She would stop by in the "stupid early" mornings, as Mai put it, and stop by again close to closing time. At first it was with silly excuses and purchases but eventually she stopped looking for a reason to explain her appearance at the shop, becoming a permanent fixture instead. The flower seeds Mai gave her were growing slowly but steadily and Yue soon started buying other plants as well. She liked how calming it was to care for something that didn't demand anything more from her. And when she explained that to Mai, the girl seemed to agree.

Mai was... Mai was something else. Yue had been the one initiating all the conversations that didn't pertain to gardening at first, but, slowly, Mai was opening up. She was a very reserved yet sarcastic person. Yue noted with satisfaction how she seemed to hold back her comments less and less as this friendship went on. It was like growing a plant, Mai was slowly unfurling as Yue kept visiting. It kept Yue coming back for more.

She didn't find out much about Mai's home life in the beginning, but something seemed to just connect between the two. Yue felt like Mai actually understood what she was talking about when she talked about her parents.

"Sometimes I want to leave," Yue had confessed into the night. "But I love them too much."

"But you love them." Mai repeated uncharacteristically. Her eyes shone with unrelenting sadness and understanding.

Oh, Spirits, Mai's eyes. Yue could wax poetic poetry about those eyes. Mai emoted the most through her eyes, keeping the rest of her face stoic. They told of stories Yue could only hope to unlock and caught everything Yue tried to hide.

"You're lying," Mai said in disbelief when Yue described the misogynist thoughts of Uncle Pakku.

"I'm really not," Yue replied.

Mai shook her head, her eyes flashing in annoyance. She messed with her bangs, floofing them out to cover her eyes as she processed the story. Yue's fingers twitched at the sight, wanting to push those bangs out of the way so she could see the full extent of Mai's annoyance. 

"Men." Mai finally snorted in her most snotty tone; a tone that a gossiping old timey woman would use, one who never got over their jealousy. The huff that came after blew the bangs out of her eyes and Yue could fully see her disdain.

"Men." Yue agreed.

Yue marveled at the different sides of Mai and the range of her eyes. In the mornings those eyes were half-shut and dreaming, the soft sunlight made her whole face appear softer. Yue found that it was hard to speak to someone so perfect. In the night, the harsh manmade lights drew sharp shadows across her face and made her eyes look almost catlike. She was more perceptive at night.

Yue found herself drawing there. Drawing her plants, drawing the flowers at the shop, and drawing the girl in front of her. Drawing the softness in her eyes when the cold exterior slipped, drawing the fierce gaze she had when annoyed, drawing the fond way she looked at plants. Mai was the perfect reference.

She brought her sketchbook to her nightly visits, drawing while Mai closed up the shop. She had offered to help several times, but Mai always refused. So, instead, Yue found herself tracing the delicate lines of the girl's throat that could be seen when she wasn't wearing that black hoodie of hers and spilling it out on paper. See the graceful posture of someone taught to sit that way from a young age and replicate it on the page.

Yue knew that posture very well. She had it herself. Mai had to have come from sort of a strict household. The way she held herself, chin up, back straight, just screamed privileged. She dressed in expensive brands too, her fashion sometimes looking like they were straight out of a magazine. But no matter how much Yue racked her brain, she couldn't place Mai among the hundreds of rich familes she knew.

Mai said in their first encounter that she knew Yue from somewhere, but where? All the political gatherings she'd been to blended together, Mai's face lost in the blur. And if she was from an influential family, why would she be working in a simple flower shop? That didn't make any sense.

Yue had many questions but voiced only a few of them. Mai answered that this was her aunt's shop and she took the morning and night shifts because otherwise she had school and tennis practice. The Royal Fire Nation Academy for Girls, she said with a suffering sigh, and Yue registered the prestigous name with surprise. She hadn't expected Mai to attend an all-girls school. Or her to be an athlete for that matter.

Quite often, Yue found herself thinking that maybe she and Mai were one of the same. Cut from the same cloth. She wondered if Mai felt the same way, if the girl also felt this connection.

They both were eager -- too eager -- to leave their life behind but while Yue faltered at the thought of actually going through with it, Mai seemed to have already pulled the weed out. Her interactions with her aunt compared to when she mentioned her parents reflected Yue's assumption.

"Are you wearing... pink?" Yue asked with a gasp upon walking into the shop. It was barely light outside and Mai had a sparkly pink pin in her hair, which was unusual to say the least.

"My mother's choice." Mai rolled her eyes. "She's visiting."

"I like it," Yue volunteered. Truthfully, the pin was very un-Mai-like.

"Thanks, I hate it."

Aunt Mura walked in from the back and gently smacked Mai on the back of her head. Mai shook her head in faux-annoyance, the knit of her brows loosening. The change in demeanor was apparent to anyone who knew Mai well enough, and Yue prided herself in slowly becoming fluent to the ways Mai chose to express herself.

"Don't diss the pin," Mai's Aunt lightly scolded.

"Yes Aunt Mura," Mai drawled. She rolled her eyes but there was no malice behind them.

Mai's aunt was extremely kind. Yue started seeing more of her as she visited more often, the lady usually bustling around and readying the shop for the day. Aunt Mura, Mai called her, welcomed Yue with open arms since day one, asking her if she ate or had any questions about plants. Mai and Aunt Mura shared the same face shape and the same narrow almond eyes, but Aunt Mura's was worn with age and smiles.

The flower shop was solace. Yue started bringing her schoolwork along with her sketchbook at night, the two silently working together as all the other shops closed up.

At around two weeks or so of Yue's consistent visits, Mai wordlessly handed Yue her phone when the white haired girl stood to leave.

"Huh?" Yue asked, staring at the blank contact page onscreen.

"Your number." Mai droned, her hands tapping on the table.

A bit shell shocked, Yue silently tapped her number in, filling in the name as well. More than a few didn't know how to spell her name. She handed it back and Mai's fingers flew across the scene before Yue felt her own phone buzz.

A new text notification was on her screen. It read a very simple name of three characters: Mai.

"Text me when you get home." Mai said, slipping her phone back underneath the table. She said it so casually, nonchalantly, as if she was unaware of the implications it held.

What implications? Yue found herself wondering, daring to hope. Was Mai finally warming up to her? A flurry of butterflies erupted in her stomach.

Yue ignored the butterflies; she ignored a lot of fluttery feelings when it came to Mai.

So they started texting. A lot. Yue first started by asking for plant tips and soon they devolved into introspective questions about life. She recommended some of her favorite movies, Mai mentioned some books she had never heard the name of and she wrote it all down in her sketchbook. It took a while, but when she was able to get her hands on one specific book, it took almost all her self control to not text Mai about it with a thousand exclamation points. She didn't read classics often, but she read it gladly for Mai.

Mai always texted her after she watched a movie Yue said was good, and included all her thoughts. Yue could see her thinking as she wrote, the three dots in the bubble going on for a long five minutes and becoming a whole paragraph if Mai was excited. She was more expressive through text, writing down what she truly felt about a piece of media in a way Yue found entrancing. Yue wanted to see Mai like that in real life, unconfined by the limits she put on herself.

And just like that, Yue knew she had a crush. A teeny tiny crush. A crush so unnoticeable that you could barely tell it was there.

She knew this because of the way she pounced on her phone every time Mai texted. She knew this because her group of friends at school spelled it out for her one morning when her phone vibrated.

Toph crowed as Yue dove to take her phone out of her bag for the hundredth time. "Admit it, Moony."

"I do not have a crush on a flower shop employee." Yue crossed her arms, the text momentarily forgotten.

"You do." Suki replied.

"Do not."

"You do though."

But Yue wasn't paying attention, her face turning into a silly smile when she saw that Mai had sent a picture of one of the display plants. Steve was his name, Yue had picked him out to be a display plant a few days ago. He was a cute succulent in a yellow pot, the light green of his leaves reaching up at a diagonal towards the sun.

"See what I mean?" Suki sighed, exasperated.

"I think it's sweet," smiled Aang.

"Yeah, yeah." Toph snorted. "Moony's in love, we've known this."

Yue opened her mouth to protest.

Toph steamrolled on. "We knew since she bought her first plant and kept asking us if it looked healthy. Moony, buddy, I can't even see!"

To illustrate her point, the younger student waved her hand in front of her eyes.

Yue held back a laugh, flustered. "I was nervous."

"You know what would make you less nervous?" Suki leaned in.

"What would."

"If you revealed the location of the flower shop."

"No way." Yue denied immediately. "You guys would embarrass me."

Aang scratched his head. "Isn't that what friends are for?"

Suki rolled her eyes. "I just want to meet the girl you have a crush on."

"I do not have a crush on her!" Yue's phone vibrated again and she looked down to see an Instagram notification of a familiar username.

Suki leaned over and whistled. "You even have story notifications on? You are soooo whipped."

Toph oohed at that revelation, her grin widening. She was having too much fun messing around with Yue.

"I don't--" Yue trailed off as she clicked on Mai's story.

As expected, a brunette was holding the phone, posing for a selfie with Mai in the background. The caption read 'HACKED DAY 126 FOLLOW ME @TYLEE'. Mai was in her school uniform, looking slightly disgruntled, book in hand. Her blazer was falling down one shoulder and her tie was loosened slightly. Yue's heart skipped a beat.

The Ty Lee girl posted once on Mai's story almost every day. Otherwise, Mai was almost never active on social media. Ty Lee made sure that Mai was always included in these shots, and Yue had been tempted to DM the brunette a thank you for filling her school hours with pictures of Mai. Yue was half convinced that all the pictures on Mai's profile were curated by Ty Lee too, because there was no way Yue could fathom Mai willingly posting that one picture of her in fishnets.

But Spirits, Yue wasn't complaining. Those fishnets had hugged Mai's calves perfectly, leading lines into her A-line leather skirt. The Instagram post was around Halloween, she was supposed to be a vampire. Dark shadowy eye makeup and red lips had accented her already pale face, and the fake fangs haphazardously peeked out of her mouth. Yue was breathless just remembering it.

Anyways, back to the topic. Usually in these Instagram stories, Mai's uniform was perfectly pressed on, so seeing the loosened tie and blazer made Yue wonder what had happened before the daily selfie today. She looked up to see her set of friends with identical smirks. With a start, she realized that she still had that stupid grin on her face.

She sighed defeatedly. "Okay, maybe I do have a crush."

Suki patted her on the back. "The first step is admitting it."

Her usual trip to the flower shop felt different that day. With her newfound knowledge of her crush, it was impossible to act normally. Why, oh why did her friends have to let her know instead of letting her wallow in sweet obliviousness?

But all those thoughts went straight out of the window when she saw Mai outside wheeling the display plants back in. The girl was in ripped black jeans and a tight fitting red crop. Through the rips, fishnets peeked out and wrapped around her waist. A black cardigan hung from her arms, like how some would wear a fur coat. Her side profile was a sharp as always with her hair pulled back in two space buns. She looked good, she always looked good. Yue's throat dried up.

"Where's the apron?" Yue managed out as a greeting.

"Didn't bother." Mai glanced at her and Yue saw that her eye makeup was more elaborate than usual. Reds and golds lined the corners of her eye, making her golden eyes pop.

Yue followed the taller in, waiting patiently for Mai to wheel the display shelf into place. "A bit fancy today, aren't you?"

"Fancy." Mai snorted as if she was anything but. "Ty Lee wanted to have a photoshoot."

"Oh," Yue nodded. She didn't know Ty Lee personally but she knew enough to know that the girl was one of Mai's best friends.

Mai ducked into the back room and came back with two mugs of tea. She handed Yue the yellow mug, taking the red one for herself. The counter was a mess with polaroids.

Yue picked one up, it had Mai staring over sunglasses and into the camera with cool eyes. Her hip was jutting out like a model and one hand was holding those angular sunglasses in place. The lighting was dim but the golden eyes Yue found so pretty shone bright.

Mai gathered the polaroids into a neat pile and set them next to a light pink polaroid camera. She said as an explanation, "Ty Lee left them here."

Yue's eyes were drawn to another one with both Mai and Ty Lee. It was an awkward angle with Ty Lee holding the camera. She was in mid giggle and Mai had her eyes closed and face scrunched up. The hand raised next to her face was blurred and in the middle of forming a hand position, not quite gettin there in time for the shot. It was cute.

"She's pretty," Yue commented off-handedly, eyes on Mai's scrunched face.

"She knows," Mai replied dryly but there was some humor behind the monotone.

Yue took out her sketchbook out of her bag, loosely drawing in the outline of one of the poses in the polaroids. Half formed shapes started to appear and Yue felt Mai's eyes look on with interest.

"I thought you only did nature," Mai commented.

She automatically flushed and put a hand on the other side of the sketchbook so that the pages didn't accidentally flip over. Mai didn't know about the multiple sketches Yue had of her. The amount of time Yue spent tracing over the lines of Mai's face in order to make it perfect was astonishing. Yue didn't think she drew anything more than she drew Mai, except maybe the moon.

"I don't do it often," she lied.

Mai hummed and sipped her tea. Jasmine for her, chamomile for Yue.

It was a moment before Mai spoke up again. "I like it."

Yue's heart hammered violently against her chest. She had to put her pencil down for a second, or else she would've messed up. She coughed. "Thanks."

Her eyes wandered over to the Polaroid camera, suddenly struck with an idea. In an effort to get Mai's attention off her drawing, Yue pointed to it. "Let's take some pictures."

Mai's eyes followed to where she was pointing. She picked up the camera thoughtfully, giving a noncommittal shrug. "Sure."

Suki gave Yue a firm pat on the back when Yue walked into school with a Polaroid of her and Mai inside her phone case.

"She likes having you around," Aunt Mura told her. Yue ignored the the way her stomach somersaulted at that. She had come relatively early today, in the late afternoon, and Mai apparently wasn't back from school yet.

"I like having her around too," Yue awkwardly replied, clutching her sketchbook.

"I want to thank you for helping her open up," Aunt Mura continued. "When she first started working here, you know, she was so closed off. Always addressing me as 'yes ma'am' and doing everything I asked without complaint, even if she didn't want to."

"Oh, really? But you guys are close."

"We are now." Auntie Mura smiled fondly. "She's smiling more now, have you noticed?"

Yue nodded, heart in her throat. She whispered. "Yeah, I noticed."

Because Mai was smiling more and Yue couldn't deny the little stumble of her breath every time she saw that smile. She tried not to think too deeply about it; she tried not to hope that Mai was smiling more because of her.

The shop door chimed open and Mai rushed in while holding a toddler. She made a beeline to the front desk, skidding to a stop in front of Auntie Mura and a jumble of words pouring out. Her tennis uniform was still on, revealing just how much of a rush she was in -- Mai always changed out of her uniform after practice.

Yue stared at the toned legs revealed by Mai's tennis skirt longer than neccessary before snapping back to hear the conversation.

"---so sorry for being late, Mother said to drop off Tom-Tom to you last minute, I hope that's okay, so I had to make a stop by the house to grab his diapers and--"

Auntie Mura held up a hand. "It's okay, Mai."

Mai relaxed her stance but stiffened again when she realized Yue was there. Her face was flushed from running. "Hey Yue."

"Who's this?" Yue cooed in reply. She stood up from the stool she was sitting on -- a permanent fixture now due to the amount of times Yue came over -- and bent on her knees to become face level with the baby.

"Tom-Tom, my little brother." Mai said slowly, bringing her tone back to a more controlled one.

"Hey Tom-Tom," Yue whispered conspiratorially. She raised her voice slightly. "Can I hold him?"

"Of course!" Auntie Mura clapped her hands and Mai reluctantly handed her brother off into the white haired girl's embrace.

Yue continued her mindless cooing at the babbling toddler, shifting from foot to foot slightly. In her peripheral vision she saw Mai head to the back, unslinging the duffel bag on her shoulder that likely contained tennis supplies in the process. Her eyes followed Mai until Tom-Tom started pulling at her hair and she had to revert her attention back to the baby. Auntie Mura went to the corner of the shop to help a customer.

When Mai returned with her apron on, Yue had set Tom-Tom on the counter and the two of them were babbling to each other, hands interwined. Yue was all too aware of Mai hanging back and studying the two for a bit before actually approaching them. Tom-Tom twisted and reached for Mai's hair when he saw Mai get closer.

"Little attention seeker," Mai grumbled, successfully blocking his grubby hands from touching her windswept hair.

"I think he's cute." Yue defended the toddler, smiling.

Tom-Tom giggled as if in agreement, now wrestling with Mai's hands.

Mai rolled her eyes affectionately. "Why are you here so early?"

"I have this political dinner tonight with my family, something about meeting the people running for office in Omashu?" Yue shrugged. "Thought I'd let you know instead of skipping our routine."

Something in Mai's face soured. "Sounds fun."

"Very."

Yue played with Tom-Tom while Mai busied herself with her duties. A growing seed of doubt planted itself in Yue's stomach, Mai was much quieter than usual. Her eyes had been stormy ever since Yue mentioned the Omashu dinner and Yue couldn't figure out why. Did she do something wrong?

Mai chopped the thorns off of some roses and Yue flinched. The girl was definitely wielding those clippers with a lot more force than needed.

She quelled her worries with Tom-Tom, keeping the little kid entertained with a plastic sunflower she plucked from the display case. Mai checked up on the two of them ocasionally and even she couldn't stop the secret smile Yue liked so much from forming at Tom-Tom's antics.

But all good things had to end at some point, and Yue had to leave. Mai was away attending to some inventory so Yue first said her goodbyes to Auntie Mura, bowing in respect, before starting towards the door. Tom-Tom babbled his goodbye as well, squealing over a new flower Auntie Mura brought over to entertain him with.

A hand grasped her wrist from behind, and Yue turned slightly to see Mai. "Wait."

"Yeah?" Yue asked, flushing.

Mai's brows knitted together and she seemed at a lost for words. "Just.. don't be too surprised, okay? At the dinner."

"What do you mean?"

"I.." Mai faltered, a rare occurence, and pulled her hand back from Yue's. "You'll see."

"Uh, okay?" Yue tilted her head, something was clearly bothering her friend. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Mai nodded, "See you."

As Yue left the shop, she wondered what was that was all about. Mai was always so collected that today her behavior was a little strange, uncharacteristic even. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind at the text she received from her mother, apparently the political rival they were eating with would also be bringing along their daughter. Yue had to hurry home to get ready or else they were going to be late.

The restaurant stood proudly sandwiched between a theater and a fancy looking bakery. Waitresses and Waiters buzzed around, nimbly stepping past each other and delicious smells came from the kitchen. The dim lighting and soft jazz made Yue sleepy, but the slight breeze of the air conditioner slipping through her thin dress kept her awake. 

She trailed behind her parents like a dutiful daughter, a server leading them to a room closed off from the main dining area. Two standing adults greeted them at the door, all shiny smiles and too-eager expressions. Yue figured they were the rival politicians.

"Greetings!" The woman exclaimed as her husband shook hands with Yue's father. "I hope you found the journey alright."

"It was wonderful, Michi." Her mother assured with a demure smile. "I assume that you had a wonderful ride here? It is such a long trip, all the way from Omashu."

"Yes, it was quite enjoyable."

Michi was a relatively tall woman who carried herself confidently as if to make up for all her lackings. She oddly resembled Auntie Mura in a way, without all the smile lines. Instead of kind, understanding eyes, Yue could see the hard cold glint of ambition in them.

Ukano matched his wife almost perfectly, his graying hair tied up in a smooth bun. His eyes, too, glinted with ambition, but there were more prominent smile lines on his face complete with a weathered forehead. He stood almost the same height as Yue's father, a hard feat, and Yue got the sense that he had a cunning mind to match.

Michi stepped aside, making room for someone standing behind them to introduce themself. They were hiding behind Ukano's bulk, but upon stepping into the dim light, Yue couldn't help her eyes from widening.

"This is our daughter Mai," Ukano said gruffly.

"A pleasure to meet you." Mai bowed, fixing her eyes on Yue's father. She barely glanced over to the side where Yue was standing.

"And our daughter Yue." Her father introduced, and Yue bowed as well.

Some more pleasantries were exchanged but Yue barely paid attention, too busy staring at Mai in disbelief. It all made sense now, the way Mai carried herself, the way she understood what Yue was saying, why she seemed to already know her from the very beginning.

Mai caught her stare and shook her head slightly. They would have to talk about this some other time. She clasped her black gloved hands together, keeping her face blank, and Yue's eyes trailed over her political opponent's outfit.

Black lace wrapped around the girl's shoulders, meeting the black fabric of the dress that hugged her lithe frame. The black, of course it was black, contrasted starkly against Mai's snow-white skin, and Yue's throat dried a little at those ruby red lips. A silver necklace sat at Mai's collarbone and silver earrings holding pearls jangled past her sharp jawline. Her bangs were ramrod straight and the usual two buns on either side of her head were unadorn as always.

Mai looked.. she looked amazing. Far different from her usual oversize style and streetwear to the point of seeming like a different person, but the unemotive expression was the same. Yue's heart sped up; her hands itched to draw and preserve this look in her sketchbook. She wondered if Mai knew the effect she had on her.

They finally got seated and discussion devolved into politics right as the main dish was served, Yue and Mai being largely left out of it except for the occasional nod and agreement. Yue spent the majority of the time staring down at her own food, face heating up whenever Mai glanced her way. Luckily the lights were dim and the adults were too busy to notice the air of awkwardness surrounding the teenagers. They had no reason to interact, after all, being political rivals.

Yue's stomach dropped. They were political rivals. Holding and defending different offices in different cities, sure, but her father was adamant about not siding with anything the New Ozai society stood for. And, Ukano.. Ukano was one of the leaders of that political party. If her father knew about Yue being friends with Mai, he would flip out.

So where had they met before? Yue racked her brain to remember the many events she'd been to that could've had Mai in them, but came up empty. Was it at the Water Tribe Cultural Heritage Center opening? No, that was too niche. The wedding of King Shojin? Not that one either.

Wait, Yue shivered as she remembered one specific event years ago. It was a celebration of something, and a very fancy one at that. Housewarming, maybe? She remembered slipping into an empty library and meeting a girl around her age. They had read a picture book together until Yue's mother found them and harshly separated the two kids.

"I don't ever want to see you interacting with that girl again." Her mom had reprimanded. The memory was blurry, but Yue remembered that unique hairstyle of two wide buns.

Was that what Mai meant when she said that they've met before? If so, Yue was surprised Mai would still recognize her after that specific event, it being so long ago. Maybe she meant something else.

Another memory struck her mind. A clip of a newspaper, a picture of a younger Mai on the front page. The article was about her winning some sort of tennis competition, Yue remembered it because her dad had handed her the paper to read.

"Stay away from her." He had warned. "Anyone associated with the New Ozai party shouldn't be trusted. No matter how successful they are."

How had Yue not made the connection before? The two buns and cold look instantly gave it away. Yue remembered studying the picture and thinking that the girl with the racket seemed disinterested.

"The uniforms are getting shorter and shorter every year." Her mom had shook her head. "I will never understand."

Yue's eyes had slid over to the girl's long legs at the remark and then quickly latched onto a tennis ball on the floor, ears burning as if she did something wrong.

A realization flashed through her mind; her blood ran cold. She wasn't supposed to engage with Mai any more than Mai was supposed to engage with Yue. But here they were, against all odds, spending every day together at the flower shop unknown to their parents.

How very Romeo and Juliet of them.

But Mai disliked Romeo and Juliet. Or rather, it was the ending she disliked. Yue was pretty sure that she wouldn't appreciate their relationship being compared to that specific Shakespearean tradegy.

She stole another glance at the perfectly polished girl in front of her. Mai was staring down at her food, her expression blank as her hands expertly cut the steak in front of her. The cut piece of steak was speared and brought to her ruby red lips. But Michi elbowed her daughter gently, stopping the motion of the fork.

Mother and daughter exchanged heated stares; tension crackled between them.

With a sigh, Mai dropped her fork and pulled the salad bowl closer. Michi joined back into the conversation the adults were having, no one else having noticed the little exchange. Mai's eyes flicked upwards, meeting Yue's. They were both still for a moment before Mai rolled her eyes at her mother, her distaste clear. The corners of Yue's mouth lifted at the familiar action. Then, the mask was back on and Mai started eating her salad without complaint.

A flicker of disappointment rushed through Yue. The short interaction had given her heart some hope; it would be cool if they could keep each other from boredom by shooting secret glances, but she knew as soon as she thought it that it was a pipe dream. Mai was clearly determined to keep to herself the whole night, Yue couldn't fathom a reason why other than the fact that their parents were right there.

Yue frowned, she never learned much about Mai's home life aside from assumptions. But now, a lot was adding up. She had known that Mai's parents were strict and barely present while Yue's parents were over-present. That could easily be explained with the school Mai went to, The Royal Fire Nation Academy for Girls -- a boarding school. Omashu was a train ride's away. It also explained why Yue had assumed Mai had left her privileged life behind because she seemed so distanced from it. And it turns out she literally was distanced from it, usually at least, definitely not tonight.

She knew that Mai understood the position as the perfect daughter more than anyone else, shown by their late night conversations at the flower shop. Well, this explained why. Mai was like Yue, both the daughters of well known politicans. Their lives would always be in the public's eye, although not to the point of being celebrities. Even with their parents having opposite opinions, they had grown up in a similar enviroment. Mai understood Yue; Yue understood Mai.

They had never went in depth about politics before, and Yue was just realizing how different their beliefs could be -- how different the two sides of Mai could be. The New Ozai Society, from what Yue knew, was a very conservative party. The only equality they were for was women's rights, and that was only because Michi -- Mai's mother -- was a big advocate for it. Yue was half convinced that Ukano only added it to the agenda to appease her.

A lot of their policies, in fact, didn't seem like the kind of policies Mai would support. Yue considered this while taking a bite out of her own food, wondering miserably when the dinner would end.

Turns out, the answer was very soon. Yue was almost grateful to be led out of the private room by her parents right after it ended. She looked back over her shoulder before she stepped out of the room to see Mai, unbothered, as her mother was talking.

Their eyes met and Yue quickly turned away.

"Bad news." Her dad grimaced once they were in the car. "They're bad news."

Her mom nodded. "I can't believe we didn't notice that their daughter was in the city."

Yue's ears perked up at the mention of Mai, but didn't say anything. She pulled out her phone, her finger hovering over Mai's contact.

"Should've known with the Royal Fire Nation Academy for Girls. It's the same school Ozai's kid goes to. Ukano's daughter is bad news."

"Why?" Yue asked, curiously.

"Consistently ranks the top of her class, has been on the news for achievements several times," her dad listed. "She's going to be the perfect politician."

Her mom nodded, frowning. "With the way Michi was talking about her, she's also the perfect daughter."

She was perfect all right, Yue thought to herself. Her mind wandered to those black lace sleeves hugging lithe arms and perfectly applied makeup making her eyes sharper than they already were. Above all, she thought of the degree of smiles Mai had, the affectionate eye rolls and thought provoking discussions. The knit of her brows as she tried to figure out a problem and the sureness of her hands as she took care of plants. Yeah, Mai was perfect, but not in the way adults thought she was.

She still couldn't believe it. How did she not figure it out sooner? She still couldn't believe how much it made sense, how Mai seemed to be able to relate to her. Not many would unless they also were some politician's kid, and Mai definitely fit the criteria.

She suppressed a snort. Two rich kids ignoring their respective upbringings at a flower shop, how fitting. Her thumb pressed Mai's chat and she stared at their last conversation onscreen. It was about the latest movie Mai had watched, per Yue's request. Mai's long text message ranting about the stupidity of the female lead brought a smile to her lips. Hesitantly, Yue tapped the text box, wondering if she should start a conversation.

But Dad was still going on about the dinner so Yue turned her phone off with a sigh. If Dad was still talking about his opponents, there was a good chance she would get in trouble for nothing too. She wondered if Mai was experiencing the same thing right now. If Mai was half listening to her dad while thinking of something else like Yue was.

Try as she might, Yue just couldn't gather up the courage to visit the flower shop the day after.

And the day after that.

And the day after that.

What if it was weird? What if Mai wanted nothing to do with her now that they knew each other as political rivals? What if Yue's parents found out that she was friends with Ukano's daughter?

Countless possibilities, and all of them bad, ran through her mind in endless waves. They bashed against her brain, eroding away her hope or will to fight back. She just fell in line, like she always did, focusing even more on her studies.

Mai was top of her class, Yue offhandedly remembered at the mention of studies. She was planning on going to a university in their city because she didn't want to leave Aunt Mura.

"If I step anywhere outside this city I'll be forced to major in polisci."

Yue had been sketching the tulips in the vase on that particular day, talking about all the options she had for potential universities. She looked up with curiousity. "Why?"

"Parents," Mai dismissed and Yue hummed in understanding, not pressing any further.

(In retrospect, it made sense.)

"Then what major will you study here?" Yue had asked.

"I've been thinking business, to help Aunt Mura, but she's very against that." An eye roll. "She keeps insisting that I should major in what I want to do."

"Well, you should." Yue set down her pencil.

Mai's eyes scanned Yue briefly before raising a brow. A silent question.

Yue flushed. "Well, if you can major in anything you want, why wouldn't you? I know I would."

Her eyebrow climbed higher, disappearing under her bangs. Another question.

"I don't want to major in law either." Yue looked back down at her sketchbook. "I'd rather draw."

"Then draw."

"It's not that easy."

"I know." Mai's voice barely changed, but there was a hint of sympathy there. A hint of the mutual understanding they always shared.

They never touched the topic of university again.

Yue let out another big sigh, lost in thought as she stared at her overturned phone. The polaroid of her and Mai stared back at her. Mai hadn't initiated a conversation ever since the dinner.

(To be fair, so had Yue but she was ignoring that fact for now.)

It had been well over weeks now. Yue sat dejectedly at the cafeteria during lunch, wondering how Mai was doing. The daily Instagram story updates were the only times Yue actually saw a glimpse of Mai now. But even those had come few and far between lately. Yue hoped nothing was wrong.

"Just text her," Suki's groaned as she sat down next to Yue at the cafeteria. "You're driving us all insane."

Yue lifted her head to see her friend staring at her with as much disapproval a wild bisexual could have -- which was a lot. Toph sitting across from them had a crazy grin on her face and Aang looked as serene as ever. Clearly, she needed new friends.

The school cafeteria's unappetizing lunch on the table was suddenly the most interesting thing to focus on.

"Wow, look at this gravy." Yue poked it with a fork. "Looks like cement."

Toph snorted. "Yue, you useless homosexual."

"They must've added glue to the recipe."

"At least visit her?" Aang volunteered.

"Now, are those--"

"YUE!" Suki poked Yue's side with enough force to make her double over.

"Ow! Fine, what?" Yue shot her friend a stink eye.

"You've been pining over this girl since forever now and--"

"I wasn't pining!" She objected.

"Yes you were. You've been pining hard and now that you guys are the literal definition of Romeo and Juliet you won't risk it all for her? What happened to your elaborate scheme of growing enough plants to seduce her?"

Yue blushed and coughed violently. "I was NOT going to seduce her with plants."

"You definitely were." Toph munched on her own, most likely chef-made, sandwhich.

"It's been a while," Aang pointed out. "It can't hurt to visit her shop."

"My parents don't want me anywhere near her."

"They don't have to know," Suki shot back smoothly. "You kept your daily visits to the flower shop secret enough."

"What would I even say to her?"

Aang lit up. "Say it through a flower bouquet."

Yue cradled her head with her hands, groaning. "And where will I get the flowers from? A competitor? That's going to be the first thing she points out."

Toph was smirking. Yue eyed the blind student warily, a smirking Toph was never good news.

Suki also noticed the smirk. "What is it, Toph?"

"So, I asked my driver to look into flower shops in the area." Toph started conversationally. Yue's stomach dropped. "And I found one close to Moony's house."

Aang and Suki leaned in. "And?"

Toph pointed at Yue's general direction, sounding smug. "So if Moony here doesn't confess, we can confess for her."

"You wouldn't dare."

"I would."

Yue knew Toph was being serious, which made it worse. The only child of the Beifong family never went back on a threat.

She gave out a defeated sigh. "Fine, I'll visit her tomorrow."

"Today." Suki ordered.

"Today."

Yue walked to the flower shop near closing time with trepidation. The moon shone through the clouds, giving her courage. She saw Mai through the window, looking like what Aunt Mura would describe as "gloomy". The girl was mindlessly flipping through a thick physics textbook, looking bored and tired.

The bell rang when Yue walked in, the flower display already moved inside; Mai's head shot up. Her eyes narrowed.

Yue shifted uncomfortably in front of the door. "Hey."

"Hey." Mai's voice was curt, clipped, and measured.

"It's been a while." Yue scratched her head.

"Three weeks."

"Three weeks," Yue agreed.

Mai let out a drawn out sigh and sat down on a stool. Her face was unreadable, a blank canvas, much like it was back at the dinner.

"So..." Yue paused. "Ukano's daughter, huh."

A snort. "Arnook's daughter, huh."

"You already knew that."

Something changed in her tawny eyes. "I did."

Yue took a step to the counter. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It never came up."

Yue hesitated, taking another step forward. Mai was leaning her chin on her hand, a pose she took when defensive. She met Yue's eyes steadily, unreadable in her blank expression.

She was drawing herself in, Yue realized with a pang. Not allowing anyone, including herself, know how she really felt. Yue knew the signs all too well.

The realization fueled Yue to finally walk the whole way to the counter and lean on the top. She attempted a shy smile.

"I'm sorry for not visiting. I just.." She trailed off. "Didn't know what to say. I still don't."

Mai sighed and stood up. She started to make her way around the counter, paused, and looked at Yue. "I should finish closing up."

"I can help," Yue offered, ignoring the clear invitation to leave.

A long stare later, Mai wordlessly handed Yue an empty watering can before heading to the door to turn off the bell. Yue immediately made a beeline to the faucet in the back room, the months of helping Mai close up the shop instinctively taking over.

They fell into a familiar cycle, Mai tidying up and Yue carrying out the simple tasks. Yue didn't dare say another word outside of quick clarifications in fear of Mai pushing her away. Once the tasks were complete, Mai went back to her physics textbook, Yue to her sketchbook.

The silence wasn't new, Yue had fond memories of spending peaceful silence with Mai on many other nights. But the tension was; you could've cut it with a knife. Yue hated it. She searched Mai's dace for any hint of emotion and found none. Mai had heavy bags under her eyes, made less pronounced by concealer but still showing through.

"What have you been up to?" Yue asked once she worked up the courage to.

"Finals."

"How's that going?"

"Fine."

Yue let out a sigh. This was getting nowhere. She searched her brain to relieve the tension but couldn't find anything. Toph's threat echoed in her mind and she blushed.

Mai flipped a page.

Yue thumbed through her sketchbook, landing on a sketch she did of Mai. It had the student leaning on the counter, surrounded by plants. The way she looked like the first morning Yue visited on and the many mornings after that. Yue had tried to capture everything she felt about Mai in that drawing, the knit of her brows Yue sometimes imagined kissing away, the way the light played on her features.

She quickly skipped to another page right before Mai looked up. Yue was suddenly reminded of the night they met, the awkward silence that surrounded once-strangers.

"Why did you let me stay?" Yue asked quietly.

Mai's brows arched up and Yue elaborated. "You didn't have to take me in the first night we met."

"I felt like it." Mai replied matter-of-factly. Yue almost missed the way her eyes softened for a split second.

"Do we really have to act differently because we know each other's parents?"

"Yeah," Mai's voice was laced with sarcasm, clearly imitating Yue. "Because being political rivals is something we can brush off so easily."

"I think we can." Yue's voice lowered, as if they were discussing a secret. "I think we should."

Momentary surprise flitted across Mai's face. Her brows knitted together in that way Yue wanted to smooth out. "That's very uncharacteristic for you to say."

It wasn't like Yue to feel so reckless, it wasn't like her to fuel that recklessness even further. So she pulled herself back from the brink. "I know."

Silence filled the space between them again. Not as awkward as before, or at least Mai didn't seem bothered by it. The employee had her eyes on Yue, appraising her for what she was and what she just said. Yue tried not to fidget under the gaze.

"I thought you were scared off." Mai finally revealed, her voice lower than before.

"I was," Yue admitted. "But I missed this."

There was a lull in the conversarion as Mai mulled over what was said. She finally replied. "I did too."

Yue took that as a sign that they were on the right track. Now, time to ask a question that had been on her mind since the dinner. She started carefully. "So, your dad's beliefs, huh."

Mai rolled her eyes, a familiar fire burning in them. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "If you're going to ask me if I support him, that would be a no."

"Oh," Yue breathed. "Good."

That did make Yue feel marginally better. Being brought up in such a politically charged enviroment and all had taught Yue the importance of dating someone with the same moral standings as you. Or maybe that was the propaganda talking.

Mai glanced down at her phone to see the time. She stood up, hoisting her backpack onto the counter. "I should get back to studying for finals."

"Yeah?" Yue suddenly remembered Toph's threat, sending nerves tingling all over her body. It was either now or never. "Wait, Mai. Can I tell you something?"

Mai sat back down. Yue took that as a yes, but her stomach dropped, and her nerves along with it. "Nevermind, I forgot."

Another blink. Mai shrugged, brow arching before she dropped her backpack.

"You're not leaving?" Yue asked. She was certain Mai was about to moments ago.

"I'll leave when you do."

Yue waited for her heart to calm down to no avail. It thundered in her ears, drowning out every thought and amplifying all her anxieties. She couldn't just ask Mai outright when they just made up, that was improper.

Starting a relationship with the daughter of your father's opposite party was improper, the tiny voice in Yue's head argued. Everything about this was improper, so why not just do it?

Plus if she didn't, Toph would. And that would more horrifying than asking Mai herself.

That spurred Yue to open her mouth to say something. As if on cue, Mai looked up. Yue closed her mouth and flushed, suddenly interested in the grains of the counter. She couldn't.

It was well into the night when Mai finally shut her textbook. She scooted her chair back, stretching while yawning. All the shops around them were closed, only the streetlamps on.

Yue startled at the movement, she'd been sketching Mai again. With her tendency to stay still unless needed, Mai made an amazing reference. Yue had been busy stealing glances at Mai's tired expression under the excuse of checking if the proportions were correct. She barely had time to flip to the unfinished sketch of a shelf with plants before Mai opened her eyes.

"Done?" Yue asked gently.

Mai cracked open an eye. "I'm not processing anything past systems with inertia so yes, I would say so."

Yue's face must've shown how clueless she was because the corners of Mai's eyes crinkled up in amusement.

"Inertia. Newton's first law."

"Physics makes no sense."

"You can say that, again" Mai sighed. She slipped the textbook into her bag and heaved it onto the counter. She began zipping it up, clearly getting ready to leave. Yue felt herself start to panic.

"Oh!" Yue blurted. "I just remembered what I was going to say earlier."

Mai looked up, her eyes lined with tiredness.

"It was.. I just.." Yue hesitated.

Mai stood up, shrugging her backpack on.

"I like you."

Mai froze and Yue ducked her head. She played with her pencil, wanting desperately to melt into a puddle.

"I like you too." Mai said finally, her inflection something Yue had never heard before. She sounded wary, as if she wasn't sure what like meant in this context.

"Like, I like like you." Yue trailed off, bringing herself to lift her head.

Her eyes met Mai's and she almost involuntarily took a step back. Those tawny eyes were burning with something Yue had never seen before.

"So... can we go out sometime? Like as a date?" Yue asked cautiously, already regretting all her life choices up to this moment.

Mai let out a disbelieving huff. Her voice went deathly quiet. "You don't come in for three weeks and keep me here till midnight just to ask me out. And you want me to say yes."

Yue blinked and stuttered. "Y- yes?"

"Agni." Mai rubbbed her eyes, suddenly looking worn out. "You really are something."

"I'm sorry," Yue babbled. Her heart felt like it was about to shatter like glass. She blinked back oncoming tears. "It's okay if you don't feel the same and I can stop coming here for the time being and you don't have to say anything and I---"

Mai's eyes narrowed, which would've been more threatening if she didn't look ready to keel over. "It's midnight."

"I know I know." Yue wrung her hands. "It's a bad time and I understand if you say no. Actually, I'm sorry for bringing this up at all. I'll respect your boundaries, I'm okay with staying friends, if we can just forget th--"

"I never said no." Mai's voice was quiet.

Yue blinked. "What?"

Mai rolled her eyes, clearly she wouldn't be repeating herself. Her hands slowly clasped together, lifting to prop her head up on the table. She didn't say anything, an expectant air surrounding her.

"Look," Yue said tentatively. She slowly turned her sketchbook and flipped to the page she had just been sketching. "They're not the greatest b--"

"Shut up," a breath escaped Mai's lips. She looked stunned, her eyes widening by a little. "You drew me?"

"Well, you're pretty," Yue defended herself.

Something pink colored Mai's cheeks and she seemed lost for words. She hesitantly moved her hand closer to the sketchbook, as if itching to see more.

Yue flipped the page to another drawing of Mai. How she truly saw her. Dark strokes against white paper to form the girl's likeness, flecks of gold colored in her eyes. Yue had considered coloring the whole piece but decided to only do the eyes after being afraid of ruining it.

Mai's eyes traveled the paper, eyes taking in every single detail. She didn't seem to mind some of the extra marks Yue made by accident, face growing softer every second.

"Yue," Mai hesitated. "Yes."

"Yes?"

"I'll go out with you."

And, yeah, it was midnight and late at night. Their parents were probably wondering where they were and yeah they were two kids on opposite sides of the political spectrum. But, in that exact moment, Yue finally felt unburdened by it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be an epilogue/extra scene


	2. epilogue. moon orchids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally this story was going to be longer than the last chapter but I decided to cut it short. I edited this cut scene to fit the new ending so I guess it's kind of an extra? Enjoy ^^

The sun beat down on Yue's exposed shoulders, but the heat was the furthest thing from her mind. All her attention was focused on the pot in front of her, in it a blooming flower. A moon orchid.

Yue had spent the last several days obsessing over this flower and she would be damned if she failed now on the actual day of the tournament. She even asked Aang to meditate with it, for Spirit's sake! Even now she held it like it was the most precious thing (it was) as she jostled her way through the crowd.

Moon orchids were rare. Yue had ordered the one in her hands specifically online and it had been expensive. But it was for a good cause, Yue thought. Because she wanted the first ever gift she would give Mai, her girlfriend, to be unforgettable.

An unbidden smile spread across her face at the thought. She was here to support her _girlfriend_. She almost ran into someone's back due to being so distracted by that special term. She muttered her apologies before stepping away.

Did tennis matches always draw this much attention?

Yue navigated around the arena, eyes open for her friends. Suki and Aang had promised to tag along to provide moral support, but Yue couldn't see them anywhere. Most of the attendees seemed to be parents of the athletes, but she saw enough people her age in spiritwear to guess that not all of them were.

Two girls stood out in particular, especially because they were blocking her way. They were familiar faces from Instagram, one almost always on Mai's Instagram story. The other not shown as much but enough to figure out that a friendship was apparent between the three.

Yue slowed to a stop in front of the girls. The brunette had a pink crop top that hugged her generous curves and a beaming smile that threatened to split her face. Ty Lee, the frequent poster that took over Mai's instagram often. Next to her was a shorter, but more threatening, girl with a face Yue knew all to well. Azula, Ozai's daughter. They had met on multiple occasions with Ozai being the influencial CEO of Sozin's Industries. She was wearing red, as expected, with golden sunglasses perched on her forehead.

"So you're Yue!" Ty Lee beamed. "Hello!"

"Hi?" Yue replied.

"I'm Ty Lee, and this is Azula." Ty Lee's smile grew wider, if possible. "I'm so glad to meet you!"

Azula gave her a once-over, her electric glare sending shivers down Yue's spine. "She could do better."

On Thursday, Suki had all but dragged Yue to the mall. Now she was wearing an all new pastel blue skirt and a white lacy cropped spaghetti strap tank top. Aka Suki-approved clothing ware. So Yue _knew_ that the girl wasn't talking about her fashion.

And Yue was pretty sure this ' _she_ ' Azula was talking about was Mai. She opened her mouth to retort, or maybe to protest, but Ty Lee beat her to it.

"Azula!" The pink clad girl admonished and the CEO's daughter sighed.

"Fine fine, I'll play nice." Azula's mouth curled as she rolled her eyes. "How Mai was even able to meet the daughter of Chief Arnook astounds me."

Truthfully, it shocked Yue too but she didn't reveal that out loud.

Ty Lee chided some more, clucking her tongue like a mother hen. Her eyes landed on the potted flower Yue was holding, lighting up at the sight of it. "You brought a gift!"

"Yeah.." Yue flushed, wondering if Mai's perky friend always talked in exclamation points.

After clapping her hands together, Ty Lee then backflipped in excitement. "Oh it's so pretty! Isn't that wonderful, Azula?!"

Azula calmly took off her sunglasses and snapped them close. "Well, I suppose it is a good sign."

Yue stared at them in confusion. The calling of her name drew her attention from Mai's friends, however, and she looked away to see Suki and Aang waving at her from a distance. She apologetically dipped her head. "I should go."

Ty Lee waved as Azula shoo'ed her away with one arm. Yue walked away feeling like a tornado had blown through her mind, the interaction leaving her more confused than ever.

"Who were they?" Aang asked after Yue joined them.

"Mai's friends."

"Cool! Were they nice?"

"I guess..?" Yue replied uncertainly.

Suki shoved a piece of cotton candy into her mouth. "Let's go find some seats." Her face turned devious. "So we can get a nice view."

Yue blushed and marched off in the wake of Suki and Aang's laughs. Sometimes she couldn't stand her best friends, though she wouldn't trade them for the world.

She should've known the effect seeing Mai would have on her. Considering the fact that seeing Mai once in her tennis uniform resorted her into a blushing mess, seeing Mai in action was going to do worse things to her heart.

Speaking of, Mai was tearing up the court. Her white skirt did little to cover her long legs and it was almost tragic to realize that her usual long sleeves hid those toned arms. She wore all white, the collar of her shirt unbuttoned. The visor on her head blocked her face from view, but Yue could imagine the sweat dripping off of the athlete's face. That sharp jawline, those calculating tawny eyes.

Now, Yue didn't know much about tennis but she knew that Mai excelled at it. She never asked Mai the specifics about the sport, however, beyond why tennis out of all sports.

"It's something to do," Mai had shrugged as her response. "I had to chose a sport, my mother wanted me to do something elegant, but I chose tennis."

Yue had hummed, her own parents were the same way. She'd chosen art out of all the hobbies her parents had given her the option of and ended up falling in love with it -- which wasn't the plan. The plan was to get sweet little Arnook's daughter a harmless hobby suitable for a harmless girl that one could show off like a party trick. Instead, what they had got were swirls of color, of blues and whites, brimming with emotion. Their harmless little daughter wanting to have a career in emotions instead of logic.

Suki's shove brought Yue out of her thoughts. Two athletes Yue didn't know were competing now, and Suki pointed down to the front stands. Mai was there, sitting and drinking water, exchanging words with her coach. Azula and Ty Lee was also there -- against the no-audience-members rules, the latter handed off a towel.

Yue downed her water with renewed vigor after seeing Mai take off her visor and wipe off her sweat. Aang offered her some popcorn and she took a handful gratefully.

"Those are the girls you were with earlier," Suki said. "Do you know them?"

"You don't know Azula?" Yue asked in surprise. "Ozai's daughter?"

Suki's nose scrunched. "I don't pay attention to my parents when they talk about politics."

"Azula?" Aang chimed in, his eyes lighting up in the way it always did when talking about ecoterrorism. "She's the heir of Sozin Industries."

"Oh that corporation you and your buddies tried to sabotage last year?" Suki asked.

"We failed." Aang stuffed popcorn in his mouth agreeably. "But we won't fail next time."

Yue shot the two a look, more concerned than anything else. She, for obvious reasons, opted out of Aang's antics past making some posters for them. Her parents approved of Aang and his Avatar namesake but would not approve his ecoterrorist tendencies.

Her thoughts turned to Azula's remarks from the beginning of the tournament. She could do better. Was that a sign? Was Mai going to go back on her answer? A pit opened up in her stomach. She didn't know what she would do if Mai broke it off with her. They barely even started! This whole week had been hinging on the hope that Mai would love the moon orchid.

Suki gently bumped Yue out of her thoughts. "You good?"

Yue took a deep breath, staring down at the orchid in her lap. "What if she doesn't like it?"

"Impossible." Suki snorted. "From what you told me, she's a total sucker for plants and she'll love it."

Her voice softened at Yue's doubtful expression. "Hey, if she breaks it off -- which won't happen -- you probably won't ever see her again if you get into that law school your parents want you to go to."

A boulder settled on Yue's shoulder at the reminder of the future laid out for her. She tried her best to sound reassured. "You're right."

"Even if you don't go to law school you'd barely see her because you only saw her at the flower shop," Aang added. "And we'll be here for you every step of the way."

Yue smiled half-heartedly. "Thanks guys."

Honestly that was horrible reassurement but she would take it.

The tournament finally ended, and by that time Yue was a bundle of nerves. Mai had won the prize money, and Yue didn't think anyone else cheered louder than she did. The blank expression Mai usually put on for the camera was instead a small smirk, and her coach was all shades of red. Other athletes started to file out of the courts, and the crowded bleachers thinned. Yue and her friends stayed behind, not necessarily knowing where to go.

Yue almost jumped a feet in the air at her phone vibrating with a text from Mai soon after the photos were taken. She fumbled for her phone, one hand making sure the moon orchid didn't fall. Mai was telling her to meet at the snack booth.

"That's our cue." Suki stood up. "You ready?"

"Spirits no," Yue admitted.

"Come on." Aang patted her shoulder. "It'll be great."

And it was. It really really was. Mai's eyes had widened at the gift, her voice becoming muted as it always did whenever she was excited. A rare smile played at her lips and she had kissed Yue on the cheek when they were left alone. She now cradled the moon orchid in her hands, tennis bag on her shoulders.

The sun set ahead of them and their friends had long since left for home. But the night was what Mai and Yue shared, what had brought them together in the first place. They welcomed it with open arms.

"Thank you, you're amazing." Mai told her quietly under the fading sun.

Yue blushed and stuttered something in response, much to Mai's amusement. And faintly, Yue was glad for ending up at that flower shop so long ago because it led to the prettiest bloom of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some people might be wondering why I chose Toph, Suki, and Aang as Yue's best friends so here's my explanation. In this AU Yue attends a prestigious school; Toph's there because she's the daughter of rich parents, Aang's the Avatar so therefore gets special treatment, and Suki has a athletic scholarship. I forget my exact reasoning for where the rest of the Gaang are, but hopefully that clears it up.


End file.
